Why does Apple feel the need to even address the idea that an apology might be required?

It's a slam at all the Apple fanboys (and girls) who crowed over the fact that for years the company made its iPhones encased in metal. The implication was that only other, rival, cheaper phones came in tacky plastic.

But Samsung et al. have made a huge business out of plastic phones. Because they flex slightly in a way that iPhones don't, they have a reputation — some say undeserved — of breaking less and suffering from fewer cracked screens. They're also lighter and less likely to slip out of your hand.

Now Apple is on the plastic bandwagon. Chief designer Jony Ive said at the event that the decision to go plastic was not taken lightly: "We took the same fanatical care of how the iPhone 5C feels in your hand."

The iPhone 5C will cost $99 with a contract, and comes in a range of colors. Previously, iPhone users had to choose between black and white. So the C in 5C appears to stand for "cheap," "colors," and "China" — where Apple is expected to market the phone heavily with newly signed wireless carriers.